Hello there, sugar dumpling.
I wanted to be sure to give you plenty of advanced notice so you can
mark your calendar, cancel plans, and/or book plane tickets for the
Evangenitals "official" Everlovin' Record Release Party!
It is on Sunday December 16th. It's going to be at Mr T's Bowl in
Highland Park. It's going to start early so you don't have to stay
out late. It is going to be a beautiful celebration of beautiful
music and the beautiful people that helped make this album possible.
And that means you, buddy!
To tide you over until you get there, here's a video mash-up by
Jefferey G Baker and Levi Brewster featuring the song Quee Queg by the
Evangenitals, the dancers of Desi Matsi, and the Ocean. Please play,
pass, and enjoy:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WZ1G2wvpPGU
In the meantime you can download the album from iTunes or buy a copy
from CDBaby.com and learn all the words so you can sing-a-long at the
big show!
http://www.cdbaby.com/cd/evangenitals2
SAVE THE DATE!
Sunday December 16th
The Evangenitals Present:
The Everlovin' Record Release Party
Mr T's Bowl
5621 1/2 Figueroa
Los Angeles, CA 90042
Free!
Special Guest, Music, Prizes, and more
Much love,
Juli & the Genitals
http://www.evangenitals.com
http://www.myspace.com/evangenitals
Thursday, November 29, 2007
Monday, November 26, 2007
Hello there.
Yes, I know this is kind of late notice... a sign of a full life, indeed!
Tonight at Mr T's Bowl the awesome/spectacular music experience
"Ollin" will be closing out their Monday night residency and they have
invited the Evangenitals to come join in the fun.
It's our first show since the Road to Oprah tour, and we're happy to
be coming home to Mr T's Bowl. If you can make it out, we're going to
be hammering out the hits at 11:30pm, right after Ollin who go on at
10:30pm. Yes, we know it's Monday night. Perhaps the writer's strike
has many of you not going to work tomorrow?
Ollin @ 10:30pm
Evangenitals @ 11:30pm
Mr T's Bowl (in Highland Park)
5621 1/2 Figueroa
Los Angeles, CA 90042
In other news, we're still encouraging folks to not only buy but
REVIEW our new album Everlovin' on CDBaby.com:
http://cdbaby.com/cd/evangenitals2
My old friend Jeffrey from my NYU days made his very first music
video, using an Evangenitals tune:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=oDuZN9bZmqo
Over 500 people have seen our Sun is Shining Video on YouTube:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3kMky9EinZY
And life is good. It really is. Need proof? Give me a call.
Much love,
Juli & the Evangenitals
http://www.evangenitals.com
http://www.myspace.com/evangenitals
Saturday, November 17, 2007
The Evangenitals at WalMart???
Here is something I never expected to see... (click here)
Crazy times!
Here is something I never expected to see... (click here)
Crazy times!
Wednesday, November 14, 2007
Awesome News and our First Review!
Finally.... someone has reviewed our new album! Thankfully, they really liked it. :-)
Peter is a fan from the UK that we met when we opened for Trainwreck at the Knitting Factory. He came to see Trainwreck, and left loving the Evangenitals. I was hoping he would really dig our 2nd album, especially after waiting for it to make the long journey across the Atlantic.
You can read his review on our album page at CDBaby.com, and hopefully, for those of you who have heard the new album, it will inspire you to write your own!
http://cdbaby.com/cd/evangenitals2
You can also log in and review the album on iTunes. Every review is incredibly helpful, as it helps us get "star ratings" and spreads the good word about the Evangenitals.
And now, here's some Awesome News:
*We're on Last.fm! http://www.last.fm/music/The+Evangenitals
If you are not familiar with Last.fm, I'd highly recommend checking it out. It's incredible internet radio.
*We got an awesome write-up from Orphan Records!
Check it out!
*George's Birthday is on November 17th!
*We're playing a welcome home show at Mr T's Bowl with Ollin on November 26th!
And if you haven't seen/rated/commented and passed on the new Evangenitals video to everyone you know... you can do it here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3kMky9EinZY
Remember, anything you can do to help spread the word about the Evangenitals helps to keep the dream alive, so thanks for everything!
Cheers,
Juli & The Evangenitals
Finally.... someone has reviewed our new album! Thankfully, they really liked it. :-)
Peter is a fan from the UK that we met when we opened for Trainwreck at the Knitting Factory. He came to see Trainwreck, and left loving the Evangenitals. I was hoping he would really dig our 2nd album, especially after waiting for it to make the long journey across the Atlantic.
You can read his review on our album page at CDBaby.com, and hopefully, for those of you who have heard the new album, it will inspire you to write your own!
http://cdbaby.com/cd/evangenitals2
You can also log in and review the album on iTunes. Every review is incredibly helpful, as it helps us get "star ratings" and spreads the good word about the Evangenitals.
And now, here's some Awesome News:
*We're on Last.fm! http://www.last.fm/music/The+Evangenitals
If you are not familiar with Last.fm, I'd highly recommend checking it out. It's incredible internet radio.
*We got an awesome write-up from Orphan Records!
Check it out!
*George's Birthday is on November 17th!
*We're playing a welcome home show at Mr T's Bowl with Ollin on November 26th!
And if you haven't seen/rated/commented and passed on the new Evangenitals video to everyone you know... you can do it here:
http://youtube.com/watch?v=3kMky9EinZY
Remember, anything you can do to help spread the word about the Evangenitals helps to keep the dream alive, so thanks for everything!
Cheers,
Juli & The Evangenitals
Monday, November 12, 2007
NEWSFLASH! Rabid WEEN fan calls out the Evangenitals for "antic ripping"
I don't know how many of you frequent the Ween Forum but if you know me at all, you may know that I absolutely adore that friggin' band and they are a huge influence and inspiration to me. So you can imagine my combination of giddiness and utter despair when this forum post was brought to my attention:
"So, this band rips off WEEN'S stage antics... The band is the Evangenitals."
To be fair, I was totally doing an homage to Ween's "Painting the Town Brown" live album that night, which, if you don't know it, means that before and after every song I would say, "This song is ______, by the Evangenitals." Any serious Ween fan who listens to a lot of live albums and bootlegs would probably pick up on a number of shout-outs and nuances on my "stage antics" that are inspired by Deaner and Gener. Those boys are like icons in my mind that help me get through shows without having a panic attack. When in doubt, I simply pretend like I'm Gener prancing about in a Hawaiian shirt and his Las Vegas-worthy bravado helps me get through the night.
In the end, it seemed that the Ween Forum members, who are usually horrifically cutthroat, came out on the side of the Evangenitals... considering that Ween is a band who is known for the frequent homage, cover, rip off, and riffing on the styles of those who came before.
In other news, Ween's new album "La Cucaracha" has been on rotation in my iTunes with a horrific frequency lately. To be honest, I can't stop listening to it. That and Devendra Banhart's "Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon". The Devendra Banhart album is getting an average of 3 full plays per day, while Ween's La Cucaracha is coming in at an average of twice a day.
Banhart does have a bit of an advantage, though, as the album has a lot of super-mellow cuts which means I can keep playing "Smokey" late into the night in my apartment building without disturbing my neighbors. "With My Own Bare Hands" wouldn't go over so well at 3am... however, it has earned its place on my "if I were a stripper" playlist! It is filthy, fierce, and delightful. I love it.
I don't know how many of you frequent the Ween Forum but if you know me at all, you may know that I absolutely adore that friggin' band and they are a huge influence and inspiration to me. So you can imagine my combination of giddiness and utter despair when this forum post was brought to my attention:
"So, this band rips off WEEN'S stage antics... The band is the Evangenitals."
To be fair, I was totally doing an homage to Ween's "Painting the Town Brown" live album that night, which, if you don't know it, means that before and after every song I would say, "This song is ______, by the Evangenitals." Any serious Ween fan who listens to a lot of live albums and bootlegs would probably pick up on a number of shout-outs and nuances on my "stage antics" that are inspired by Deaner and Gener. Those boys are like icons in my mind that help me get through shows without having a panic attack. When in doubt, I simply pretend like I'm Gener prancing about in a Hawaiian shirt and his Las Vegas-worthy bravado helps me get through the night.
In the end, it seemed that the Ween Forum members, who are usually horrifically cutthroat, came out on the side of the Evangenitals... considering that Ween is a band who is known for the frequent homage, cover, rip off, and riffing on the styles of those who came before.
In other news, Ween's new album "La Cucaracha" has been on rotation in my iTunes with a horrific frequency lately. To be honest, I can't stop listening to it. That and Devendra Banhart's "Smokey Rolls Down Thunder Canyon". The Devendra Banhart album is getting an average of 3 full plays per day, while Ween's La Cucaracha is coming in at an average of twice a day.
Banhart does have a bit of an advantage, though, as the album has a lot of super-mellow cuts which means I can keep playing "Smokey" late into the night in my apartment building without disturbing my neighbors. "With My Own Bare Hands" wouldn't go over so well at 3am... however, it has earned its place on my "if I were a stripper" playlist! It is filthy, fierce, and delightful. I love it.
Saturday, November 10, 2007
Check out this awesome write-up on the Evangenitals from the Orphan Records site!
The Evangenitals - What Every Mega Church Is Missing
[contributed by K. Nacy]
Have you ever entertained impure thoughts and desires? Have you found that your illicit highs keep getting lower? Have you ever touched yourself or wished someone else would? Do you need to be saved?? If you've answered "yes" to any of the preceding questions, the Evangenitals are your VIP + 1 drink pass to salvation!This five-piece alt/country/neo/folk outfit from Los Angeles initially formed in 2004 as something of a private joke, when a crappy day at the office for Juli Crockett, Brett Lyda and Lisa Dee might have meant a nationwide recall on nipple clamps. The three founding members of the Evangenitals met while working together at a sex toy company and registered their band domain name before there ever was a band. However, as songs were written and performed, fans accumulated, and their popularity spread throughout the Los Angeles area.
Their 2005 debut, "We are the Evangenitals," features a well-balanced blend of barnyard stomp and ethereal harmonies. Gifted with a powerful voice, Crockett makes her distinctive mark as the anti-crooner. She sings with a deep clarity and is able to maintain odd balance of folky sweetness and country music's signature yee-haw .
On "The Work Song," Crockett sings of the mundane and redundant in a way that somehow manages to be entrancing. At first listen, her vocals call to mind other notable altos like Cher, Grace Slick, and flannel-clad lesbian grunge pop extraordinaire, Linda Perry. Crockett's sound is low, smooth and profound, and even the most diehard of Perry fans is likely to be moved by the pastoral beauty produced on tracks like "Beautiful Boy" and "Lisa's Song".
"Hey Ya" was the persistent pop tune that your grandmother and her ninety-year-old pinnacle partner could discuss over gingersnaps. The song inspired a number of ironic covers from smart-alecky indie bands, and if you went to a $12 show in 2003, you probably heard "Hey Ya" at least once. A testament to their dexterity, the Evangenitals cover the Andre 3000 classic as a slow and haunting folk incantation. It is without question one of the most radiant tracks on "We are the Evangenitals". Eat your heart out, 3000.
Though not entirely unclassifiable, the Evangenitals are versatile and multi-layered, and will likely carry a 'slash' in their genre classification for as long as they exist as a band of Southern Californian country bumpkins. As is customary with folk music, they create traditional sounds for everyday people, which is perhaps their greatest strength. The fact that they can spare you fire and brimstone is simply an added bonus.
The band's sophomore release, "Everlovin", should be available through CD Baby and iTunes shortly…See ya at the next hell raisin'.
The Evangenitals - Website
The Evangenitals - Myspace
Wednesday, November 07, 2007
Evangenitals for the Elderly
The Evangenitals play at a Veterans Memorial Nursing Home in Daytona Beach, FL.
And yes... we played them "Gasoline"...
:-)
And yes... we played them "Gasoline"...
:-)
Whirlygig Gig Farm
The Evangenitals shot part of our upcoming epic music video for "Home" at the Vollis Simpson Whirligig Farm in Lucama, North Carolina.
Crazy stuff!
Crazy stuff!
We were there....
Here's the photographic proof that we actually DID make it to the Oprah Winfrey Show!
Kinda. :-)
Kinda. :-)
Monday, November 05, 2007
Evangenitals @ Tampa Skate Park
This was definitely a highlight of the Road to Oprah tour!
Thank you for the good times, SPOT (Skate Park of Tampa)!!
Thank you for the good times, SPOT (Skate Park of Tampa)!!
This is possibly the greatest music video ever...
This is Kate Flannery (Meredith on The Office) and Scot Robinson (my improv teacher at IO West, who was in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burghttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifundy) as "" - an awesome and slightly tragic lounge act duo that perform the first Saturday of every month at the Improv Olympic in Hollywood. I highly recommend the show.
If you like that video, their mash-up of Mandy/Brandy/Candy/Andy will knock your socks off!
Please take pleasure in loving them. :-)
This is Kate Flannery (Meredith on The Office) and Scot Robinson (my improv teacher at IO West, who was in Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burghttp://www.blogger.com/img/gl.link.gifundy) as "" - an awesome and slightly tragic lounge act duo that perform the first Saturday of every month at the Improv Olympic in Hollywood. I highly recommend the show.
If you like that video, their mash-up of Mandy/Brandy/Candy/Andy will knock your socks off!
Please take pleasure in loving them. :-)
Thursday, October 25, 2007
Updates from the R2O...
Blogging has been tough from the Road to Oprah. Too much going on, and when there is down-time we’re usually in the middle of nowhere with no email/web services.
Chapel Hill with North Carolina was amazing. First we got biodiesel at Larry’s Coffee in Raleigh NC and then we crashed at academy award winning documentary filmmaker Barbara Trent’s house. We ate fresh veggies from her garden, ate under the stars on her back porch, and had a good old fashioned musical hootenanny after dinner.
In Washington DC the whole trip became a grand success when Michelle Brown gave us a check for $10,000 at a house party and became our #3 producer and the top personal donor to The 1 Second Film. We also got some awesome footage in front of the Capital Building and the Lincoln & Washington Memorials.
Baltimore is an incredibly beautiful and desperate city. There were more boarded up buildings and run down/uninhabitable neighborhoods in Baltimore than there were in New Orleans. We happened upon an event where Montel Williams was speaking and tried to get some time with him, however, we were kicked out of the area when folks began to get more excited about The 1 Second Film and our Road to Oprah tour than they were about Montel’s free pharmaceutical drug program.
Linda Evans of the University of Baltimore got us hooked up with nice hotel rooms for the nice, which was super fantastic, then we were off to Philadelphia in the morning. We stopped at Baltimore Biodeisel, which shared a building with a truly fantastic Organic Market where we loaded up on some great juice, coffee, and B99 biodiesel.
Philadelphia was a beautiful town and Nirvan’s friend Rebecca from New College was a beautiful host. The place we played, Silk City Lounge, was a super cool renovated old 50’s diner. The night could have been planned a little better, ran WAY late, and had really slow transitions HOWEVER we still played a great show and rocked the house that we had at 1am on a Tuesday night. 
On to Brooklyn! The event at Vox Pop was a crown jewel of the Road to Oprah tour thus far. So many old friends whom I hadn’t laid eyes on in quite some time. It seemed almost everyone in the Evangenitals and Road to Oprah crew had some friends and/or family in New York that came out to see us on a rainy night in Brooklyn. Eric Talbert (who helped organize the event) and Webster from Golden Birds (the other band that played) are friends of mine from The European Graduate School in Saas- Fee, Switzerland and this was the first time that I had seen them on US soil! My brother (photographer Jaisen Crockett) came out, Dan Paquin from Dirt Bike Annie (RIP) whom I went to NYU with was there and gave me his new album of 15 second punk songs. Sean Lewis, performance artist extraordinare made an appearance. My favorite costume designer in the universe Irina Kruzhilina. Good people all around!
We slept in the bus on Flatbush Ave and right now we’re driving down Houston heading toward Washington Square Park. We just rolled by Ground Zero and saw the big hole in the ground. In a few minutes we’ll be heading up to Harlem to meet documentary film legend Albert Maysels, director of Grey Gardens and the first man to film the Beatles in the US.
More soon, I hope. The Road to Oprah is growing near the end!
Saturday, October 20, 2007
Sweet Carolinas
Last night’s show at the Guitar Bar in Savannah was awesome. It’s continually bewildering and wonderful that the Evangenitals manage to connect and communicate with folks beyond our own backyard. We had a nice helping of SCAD students in the crowd last night, and once we got a sense of their sensibilities, we started to cut loose with some Fuck ‘em All/Gasoline action. We had such an awesome sing/play-a-long for “Home” that we decided to throw in the Vagina Song as well. That was a big hit. Many copies of Everlovin’ were sold simply so that folks could have Fuck ‘em All on hand as the new theme song to their lives. I got lots of good hugs. A great show, a great night, and a great city. At least the few blocks that I saw.
I loved the Southern Gothic feel, the low-handing moss off the trees, and the fountains. There seems to be a strange merging of deterioration and growth going on there -- lots of old historical buildings, lots of construction, and lots of vacant spaces/buildings for sale. So far Austin, New Orleans, and Savannah have been my favorite towns, as far as look/feel/vibe/scene/etc.
That morning we played at a Veterans Memorial Nursing Home in Daytona, Florida. And yes, we played those old, dirty war vets Gasoline! ☺ They wanted to hear something spicy, and we gave it to them. We got some great footage of our “Home” sing-a-long/play-a-long there as well. This should be one EPIC music video!
The night before we were supposed to play at the amphitheater in Port Orange, FL… however the park security had other plans! We were told that we couldn’t play there, so during all the discussion and commotion the Evangenitals shot an impromptu music video for “Not Quite There” with some local skaters. Huzzah! The young skater boys were super-sweet and helpful and really excited to be in a movie. When we get back from this trip Brett will be able to start editing all this footage and we should have a steady stream of videos coming out on YouTube, right about when Everlovin’ becomes available on iTunes. That synchronized marketing, baby!
The night before THAT we were in Tampa, Florida playing the Skatepark of Tampa (SPOT) which was an awesome experience as well. We stepped up on the stage to play for a bunch of shirtless, angry, mohawk-wearing, punker skate kids that were TOTALLY won over by the Evangenitals joy. My sister Jaimee and new brother-in-law Tom came out to the show, as well as my old friend Dwayne from High School..
So much is happening it is all blending together and difficult to explain. I’m so glad there will be video tape and photos and a lifetime to keep writing songs and telling stories about it all.
I’m in love with the land and the sky and the trees. This land was made for you and me.
Last night’s show at the Guitar Bar in Savannah was awesome. It’s continually bewildering and wonderful that the Evangenitals manage to connect and communicate with folks beyond our own backyard. We had a nice helping of SCAD students in the crowd last night, and once we got a sense of their sensibilities, we started to cut loose with some Fuck ‘em All/Gasoline action. We had such an awesome sing/play-a-long for “Home” that we decided to throw in the Vagina Song as well. That was a big hit. Many copies of Everlovin’ were sold simply so that folks could have Fuck ‘em All on hand as the new theme song to their lives. I got lots of good hugs. A great show, a great night, and a great city. At least the few blocks that I saw.
I loved the Southern Gothic feel, the low-handing moss off the trees, and the fountains. There seems to be a strange merging of deterioration and growth going on there -- lots of old historical buildings, lots of construction, and lots of vacant spaces/buildings for sale. So far Austin, New Orleans, and Savannah have been my favorite towns, as far as look/feel/vibe/scene/etc.
That morning we played at a Veterans Memorial Nursing Home in Daytona, Florida. And yes, we played those old, dirty war vets Gasoline! ☺ They wanted to hear something spicy, and we gave it to them. We got some great footage of our “Home” sing-a-long/play-a-long there as well. This should be one EPIC music video!
The night before we were supposed to play at the amphitheater in Port Orange, FL… however the park security had other plans! We were told that we couldn’t play there, so during all the discussion and commotion the Evangenitals shot an impromptu music video for “Not Quite There” with some local skaters. Huzzah! The young skater boys were super-sweet and helpful and really excited to be in a movie. When we get back from this trip Brett will be able to start editing all this footage and we should have a steady stream of videos coming out on YouTube, right about when Everlovin’ becomes available on iTunes. That synchronized marketing, baby!
The night before THAT we were in Tampa, Florida playing the Skatepark of Tampa (SPOT) which was an awesome experience as well. We stepped up on the stage to play for a bunch of shirtless, angry, mohawk-wearing, punker skate kids that were TOTALLY won over by the Evangenitals joy. My sister Jaimee and new brother-in-law Tom came out to the show, as well as my old friend Dwayne from High School..
So much is happening it is all blending together and difficult to explain. I’m so glad there will be video tape and photos and a lifetime to keep writing songs and telling stories about it all.
I’m in love with the land and the sky and the trees. This land was made for you and me.
Wednesday, October 17, 2007
Kyle MacDonald and Juli Crockett Trade!
This was a geeky highlight of the Road to Oprah tour for me so far. I got to trade Evangenitals' CD's and some stickers for Kyle MacDonald of One Red Paperclip fame's new book, a patch, and some stickers. It was pretty awesome.
He and his wife, Dom, tagged along from our Tallahassee show at The Warehouse to my mom's house in St Pete and The 1 Second Film's presentation at St Pete High. He and Dom came out to the Evangenitals' show at the Skatepark of Tampa (SPOT) Transitions Art Gallery before heading in the opposite direction than us... to New Orleans, where we had been just days before. It was really cool to cross paths with them on the Road to Oprah!
He and his wife, Dom, tagged along from our Tallahassee show at The Warehouse to my mom's house in St Pete and The 1 Second Film's presentation at St Pete High. He and Dom came out to the Evangenitals' show at the Skatepark of Tampa (SPOT) Transitions Art Gallery before heading in the opposite direction than us... to New Orleans, where we had been just days before. It was really cool to cross paths with them on the Road to Oprah!
Tuesday, October 16, 2007
I love this poster that the local bands we're playing with made. It's awesome!
Hopefully some of my old friends and family will make it out to the show tonight. It would be great to see everyone.
After the show, we're off to Satellite Beach High School, driving through the night, for a 9am presentation for The 1 Second Film. Creator/director of The 1 Second Film Nirvan Mullick actually went to high school there, so it should be cool for him to visit his old alma mater and share his story with the kids.
After that we've got a show in the park in Daytona, stopping by the Veterans nursing home for an acoustic set in the morning, then off to Savannah for our gig at the Guitar Bar. Exciting stuff all around!
Hopefully some of my old friends and family will make it out to the show tonight. It would be great to see everyone.
After the show, we're off to Satellite Beach High School, driving through the night, for a 9am presentation for The 1 Second Film. Creator/director of The 1 Second Film Nirvan Mullick actually went to high school there, so it should be cool for him to visit his old alma mater and share his story with the kids.
After that we've got a show in the park in Daytona, stopping by the Veterans nursing home for an acoustic set in the morning, then off to Savannah for our gig at the Guitar Bar. Exciting stuff all around!
Sunday, October 14, 2007
Austin, Houston, and beyond!
So much has happened in the past few days, it’s hard to find time to write about it all! Nirvan’s sister Dream surprised us in Austin by flying down to the show to lend a much-needed hand. The venue in Austin – The Brentwood Tavern – was really homey and cute. Outdoor wooden stage with an Oak Tree growing right through the middle of the stage, adjacent playground and you can even bring your dog there. I loved it. I could totally see myself moving to Austin someday, especially if I was going to have kids and needed to get them to some fresher air than Los Angeles has to offer.
Our hosts, Brian and Jeremy (Jeremy is his wife, and a woman… confusing, no?) were AWESOME!!! They fed us, bed us, and took such good care of us it was silly. Brian has some connection to SXSW and is going to try to pass some copies of the Evangenitals new album Everlovin’ (which is about to be available online at CD Baby and iTunes!) into the right hands. That would be awesome, as I’m eager to get back to Austin very soon. It is a great, great town full of music lovers and warm southern souls.
We also got to meet Chad there, who was an Evangenitals fan from Myspace. It was wonderful to have cyber-friend turn real-time friend and have the opportunity to play a live show for him… though we didn’t play “Never Again” which was the song that first made him fall in love with us. I think the “Work Song” made up for it, though, as both he and his friend Kelly, an Austin artist who works at Apple in customer service, were feeling the message of the corporate grind. There is a social revolution afoot and those two are hip to it. It was really nice to get to sit and talk with them for a bit.
Dream surprised us again by accompanying us on the bus to Houston, where Nirvan and her dad, Shaman Mullick, was spearheading our event at Lucky’s Pub. We decided to keep that on the down-low and surprise both her dad and Nirvan’s grandmother with her presence. En route she helped us with hammering down our production schedule, set-up/break-down procedures, etc. In a bus full of artists, organization and punctuality are not proving to be our strong suits. However, we’re getting pretty good at faking it!
Open, honest communication and frequent check-ins are critical when living in a bus with 8 people, 4 bunks, 2 couches, and a whole lot of driving to do. So is being as clean as you possibly can. ☺
Houston’s event was big, loud, and drunken. We performed like we were doing a stadium show, and it seemed to break through the ruckus and transmit the message. I was wearing one of The 1 Second Film’s “I’m on top of Christina Ricci” shirts and it made me feel pretty tough. Our group version of “Home” for the epic music video that is developing was incredible – we had Brett’s grandmother on stage dancing a jig with Nirvan’s dad, grown men playing tambourines, xylophones and slide whistles, and I was playing the bass. This video should be awesome in the end.
Early in the day, Lisa and I did an Evangina version of Home for Nirvan’s grandmother, which was quite an experience. The tender quite of the whole thing got me all choked up and I almost cried mid-song.
New Orleans deserves it’s own entry, as so much happened on Freemen street last night it’s going to take me a while to process it all. In fact, I’m still enjoying the experience on the inside, so I don’t want to muck it up with articulation just yet. I’m going to snuggle up with it for a while longer.
We’re about to pull into Tallahassee where we’ll set up for tonight’s presentation and show at FSU, then we’re driving all night to my mom’s house in St Pete, where we will pass out for a few hours before doing a show at St Pete High. After that, we get to have an evening off and some much needed sleep. And a hot tub! Woo hoo!
More to come... the bus don't stop till Oprah.
So much has happened in the past few days, it’s hard to find time to write about it all! Nirvan’s sister Dream surprised us in Austin by flying down to the show to lend a much-needed hand. The venue in Austin – The Brentwood Tavern – was really homey and cute. Outdoor wooden stage with an Oak Tree growing right through the middle of the stage, adjacent playground and you can even bring your dog there. I loved it. I could totally see myself moving to Austin someday, especially if I was going to have kids and needed to get them to some fresher air than Los Angeles has to offer.
Our hosts, Brian and Jeremy (Jeremy is his wife, and a woman… confusing, no?) were AWESOME!!! They fed us, bed us, and took such good care of us it was silly. Brian has some connection to SXSW and is going to try to pass some copies of the Evangenitals new album Everlovin’ (which is about to be available online at CD Baby and iTunes!) into the right hands. That would be awesome, as I’m eager to get back to Austin very soon. It is a great, great town full of music lovers and warm southern souls.
We also got to meet Chad there, who was an Evangenitals fan from Myspace. It was wonderful to have cyber-friend turn real-time friend and have the opportunity to play a live show for him… though we didn’t play “Never Again” which was the song that first made him fall in love with us. I think the “Work Song” made up for it, though, as both he and his friend Kelly, an Austin artist who works at Apple in customer service, were feeling the message of the corporate grind. There is a social revolution afoot and those two are hip to it. It was really nice to get to sit and talk with them for a bit.
Dream surprised us again by accompanying us on the bus to Houston, where Nirvan and her dad, Shaman Mullick, was spearheading our event at Lucky’s Pub. We decided to keep that on the down-low and surprise both her dad and Nirvan’s grandmother with her presence. En route she helped us with hammering down our production schedule, set-up/break-down procedures, etc. In a bus full of artists, organization and punctuality are not proving to be our strong suits. However, we’re getting pretty good at faking it!
Open, honest communication and frequent check-ins are critical when living in a bus with 8 people, 4 bunks, 2 couches, and a whole lot of driving to do. So is being as clean as you possibly can. ☺
Houston’s event was big, loud, and drunken. We performed like we were doing a stadium show, and it seemed to break through the ruckus and transmit the message. I was wearing one of The 1 Second Film’s “I’m on top of Christina Ricci” shirts and it made me feel pretty tough. Our group version of “Home” for the epic music video that is developing was incredible – we had Brett’s grandmother on stage dancing a jig with Nirvan’s dad, grown men playing tambourines, xylophones and slide whistles, and I was playing the bass. This video should be awesome in the end.
Early in the day, Lisa and I did an Evangina version of Home for Nirvan’s grandmother, which was quite an experience. The tender quite of the whole thing got me all choked up and I almost cried mid-song.
New Orleans deserves it’s own entry, as so much happened on Freemen street last night it’s going to take me a while to process it all. In fact, I’m still enjoying the experience on the inside, so I don’t want to muck it up with articulation just yet. I’m going to snuggle up with it for a while longer.
We’re about to pull into Tallahassee where we’ll set up for tonight’s presentation and show at FSU, then we’re driving all night to my mom’s house in St Pete, where we will pass out for a few hours before doing a show at St Pete High. After that, we get to have an evening off and some much needed sleep. And a hot tub! Woo hoo!
More to come... the bus don't stop till Oprah.
Saturday, October 13, 2007
The Evangenitals are playing in New Orleans TONIGHT! Please spread the word and tell your friends in the area!
Here's the story:
The 1 Second Film’s Road to Oprah tour is set to arrive in New Orleans on October 13th where they will be presenting and performing at the Café Rose Nicaud (632 Frenchmen Street) at 5 PM. Everyone is welcome to come see the Road to Oprah road show (www.roadtooprah.com) and learn more about this art project/film that is being called the “largest collaboration in filmmaking history.” There will be live music by the popular Los Angeles-based folk/Americana band The Evangenitals (www.evangenitals.com) who are traveling with the documentary crew on the Road to Oprah tour and composing music for the documentary, and a presentation detailing the collaborative effort to change the world one second and one dollar at a time. Attendees will have the opportunity to appear in the film’s “making of” documentary and to play with the band. Admission is free.
The 1 Second Film (www.the1secondfilm.com) is a grassroots non-profit collaborative film that anyone can produce by donating $1. From Kiefer Sutherland to Kevin Bacon, thousands of producers from around the world are chipping in to help make a film that makes a difference... will Oprah? That is the question the filmmakers and accompanying folk/Americana band are prepared to drive 10,000 miles to find out. Starting October 5th of 2007, The 1 Second Film embarked on a 10,000-mile journey across America in pursuit of a dream. Their dream: to unite the world through collaborative art making while addressing various social-issues. The 1 Second Film's road-trip ends in Chicago, where they hope to meet Oprah and ask her to join the producers of The 1 Second Film by donating $1. Along the way they will be visiting Universities, high schools, house parties, night clubs, skate parks, and even Veteran's nursing homes to perform original music by The Evangenitals which will accompany the “making of” documentary and present their 5 Phase Plan to bring the world together, one-second at a time. The full Road to Oprah road show schedule can be viewed at: www.roadtooprah.com/map.
Here's the story:
The 1 Second Film’s Road to Oprah tour is set to arrive in New Orleans on October 13th where they will be presenting and performing at the Café Rose Nicaud (632 Frenchmen Street) at 5 PM. Everyone is welcome to come see the Road to Oprah road show (www.roadtooprah.com) and learn more about this art project/film that is being called the “largest collaboration in filmmaking history.” There will be live music by the popular Los Angeles-based folk/Americana band The Evangenitals (www.evangenitals.com) who are traveling with the documentary crew on the Road to Oprah tour and composing music for the documentary, and a presentation detailing the collaborative effort to change the world one second and one dollar at a time. Attendees will have the opportunity to appear in the film’s “making of” documentary and to play with the band. Admission is free.
The 1 Second Film (www.the1secondfilm.com) is a grassroots non-profit collaborative film that anyone can produce by donating $1. From Kiefer Sutherland to Kevin Bacon, thousands of producers from around the world are chipping in to help make a film that makes a difference... will Oprah? That is the question the filmmakers and accompanying folk/Americana band are prepared to drive 10,000 miles to find out. Starting October 5th of 2007, The 1 Second Film embarked on a 10,000-mile journey across America in pursuit of a dream. Their dream: to unite the world through collaborative art making while addressing various social-issues. The 1 Second Film's road-trip ends in Chicago, where they hope to meet Oprah and ask her to join the producers of The 1 Second Film by donating $1. Along the way they will be visiting Universities, high schools, house parties, night clubs, skate parks, and even Veteran's nursing homes to perform original music by The Evangenitals which will accompany the “making of” documentary and present their 5 Phase Plan to bring the world together, one-second at a time. The full Road to Oprah road show schedule can be viewed at: www.roadtooprah.com/map.
Thursday, October 11, 2007
Oh Albuquerque!
What an awesome town Albuquerque is... at least the Knob Hill area/few blocks that we explored during our stay. We rolled into Albuquerque really late Monday night/really early Tuesday morning after driving all night and pulled up in front of what the GPS thingy told us was Nirvan’s sister (and awesome jewelry designer) Dream Mullick’s house. Unfortunately, it was NOT Dream’s house that we pulled our noisy Road to Oprah tour bus in front of at 5am-ish. It was Susan’s. Fortunately, Susan was a real sweetheart. A stewardess for Southwest Airlines who offered us coffee, cereal, and a bed to sleep in if we needed it. No wonder her garbage man has a crush on her!
We all hit the hay pretty quickly after saying good morning and good night to Nirvan’s Mom, sister, and boyfriend Sterling. While I slept until the smell of food cooking woke me up in the afternoon, Brett (who slept on the bus), was awakened by Susan bringing him a cup of coffee. She then took him on a tour of Albuquerque. Oh yeah, and did I mention that she left 3 boxes of cereal and a carton of milk on the steps of our bus for us? God bless Susan the stewardess!
Upon awakening, we were off for some local promoting of that night’s event at the STOVE Gallery. There was a big animation festival in town, so we figured we’d hit that, and then the college. En route to the Animation Fest, we attempted an ill-advised U-turn, which caused our trailer to jackknife and busted the hitch. We stashed the caboose in a High School parking lot and called Dream, who proved to be our guardian angel on this stop. She took Levi to the auto shop while the rest of us hit the animation fest where we met some awesome folks from the Adobe company (who may donate some software for The 1 Second Film and website) as well as some nice Volunteers who really dug the project, the tour, and engaged us in a much-appreciated hug-fest.
Everything got fixed and we all regrouped to head to the space and set up, where we got to have our first “official” band practice with the current lineup (for 30 minutes) before the show started. At first it didn’t seem like many folks were going to turn up, but then the trickle turned into a stream and at one point in the evening we did have quite a nice, packed house.
At one point we had a crowd of people sitting at the edge of the stage (just like the old days!) playing all kinds of instruments – from tambourines to xylophones to sleigh bells to kazoos – for one of my favorite renditions of Home that the Evangenitals have ever played. Everyone was playing and singing at the top of their lungs and we got it all caught on tape… coming soon to YouTube!
It is my great hope that Mike and Nirvan will get the illusive “intro video” up on YouTube today so that we can start sharing the VIDEO version of all of our various and sundry adventures and encounters on the Road to Oprah, as well as my random ramblings.
It’s wonderful: I miss LA and I’m loving this life on the road. Ah, the miracle of simultaneity. We’re in the midst of a few brutal days of driving and playing. Texas is huge, and it’s where we’re heading and right smack in the middle of where we go after that. Right now, we’re closing in on Roswell, NM to shoot some footage of the Evangenitals and the Aliens (and impromptu Ode to Scientology video perhaps?) and then to Carlsbad Caverns to play in the caves. After that, we drive as far as we can before passing out for the night, in the hopes of behind close to Austin in the morning.
Oh Austin!
What an awesome town Albuquerque is... at least the Knob Hill area/few blocks that we explored during our stay. We rolled into Albuquerque really late Monday night/really early Tuesday morning after driving all night and pulled up in front of what the GPS thingy told us was Nirvan’s sister (and awesome jewelry designer) Dream Mullick’s house. Unfortunately, it was NOT Dream’s house that we pulled our noisy Road to Oprah tour bus in front of at 5am-ish. It was Susan’s. Fortunately, Susan was a real sweetheart. A stewardess for Southwest Airlines who offered us coffee, cereal, and a bed to sleep in if we needed it. No wonder her garbage man has a crush on her!
We all hit the hay pretty quickly after saying good morning and good night to Nirvan’s Mom, sister, and boyfriend Sterling. While I slept until the smell of food cooking woke me up in the afternoon, Brett (who slept on the bus), was awakened by Susan bringing him a cup of coffee. She then took him on a tour of Albuquerque. Oh yeah, and did I mention that she left 3 boxes of cereal and a carton of milk on the steps of our bus for us? God bless Susan the stewardess!
Upon awakening, we were off for some local promoting of that night’s event at the STOVE Gallery. There was a big animation festival in town, so we figured we’d hit that, and then the college. En route to the Animation Fest, we attempted an ill-advised U-turn, which caused our trailer to jackknife and busted the hitch. We stashed the caboose in a High School parking lot and called Dream, who proved to be our guardian angel on this stop. She took Levi to the auto shop while the rest of us hit the animation fest where we met some awesome folks from the Adobe company (who may donate some software for The 1 Second Film and website) as well as some nice Volunteers who really dug the project, the tour, and engaged us in a much-appreciated hug-fest.
Everything got fixed and we all regrouped to head to the space and set up, where we got to have our first “official” band practice with the current lineup (for 30 minutes) before the show started. At first it didn’t seem like many folks were going to turn up, but then the trickle turned into a stream and at one point in the evening we did have quite a nice, packed house.
At one point we had a crowd of people sitting at the edge of the stage (just like the old days!) playing all kinds of instruments – from tambourines to xylophones to sleigh bells to kazoos – for one of my favorite renditions of Home that the Evangenitals have ever played. Everyone was playing and singing at the top of their lungs and we got it all caught on tape… coming soon to YouTube!
It is my great hope that Mike and Nirvan will get the illusive “intro video” up on YouTube today so that we can start sharing the VIDEO version of all of our various and sundry adventures and encounters on the Road to Oprah, as well as my random ramblings.
It’s wonderful: I miss LA and I’m loving this life on the road. Ah, the miracle of simultaneity. We’re in the midst of a few brutal days of driving and playing. Texas is huge, and it’s where we’re heading and right smack in the middle of where we go after that. Right now, we’re closing in on Roswell, NM to shoot some footage of the Evangenitals and the Aliens (and impromptu Ode to Scientology video perhaps?) and then to Carlsbad Caverns to play in the caves. After that, we drive as far as we can before passing out for the night, in the hopes of behind close to Austin in the morning.
Oh Austin!
Sunday, October 07, 2007
Day One: Road to Oprah Tour
The mission was to conquer our own town first. The plan: hit the set of Stephen Nemeth's new movie (a Phillip K Dick novel that Ptryxxx has actually been cast as a featured extra in!) then off to Hollywood Blvd, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and Venice Beach for the sunset.
We made it as far as Hollywood Blvd, where Darth Vader leaped into the Road to Oprah bio-bus just as an electrical fire broke out, causing lots of stink and smoke, melting the wires, and making the bus immovable from the curb in front of the legendary Chinese Theater. Not a bad place for a film crew to break down!
We made the best of it, called a giant tow-truck/flat bed, and had the truck towed of to Chuy's (our awesome electricians) and waited for news. The bright side of it was that we got some great footage of costumed characters, skateboard tricks on top of the bus, an awesome street band, and other goodness that you'll soon be able to see on YouTube.
Right now we're crossing the Hoover Dam after driving to Vegas late last night, getting kicked out of a parking lot this morning, and meeting new producers at a grocery store in Boulder City. At the Hoover Dam inspection checkpoint, Officer Rivera of Homeland Security became the newest producer of The 1 Second Film. Awesomeness!
We're now headed through the desert and on to the Grand Canyon!
More news soon. In the meantime, check out the new photosets on Flickr and videos on YouTube!
Love,
Juli & the Genitals
The mission was to conquer our own town first. The plan: hit the set of Stephen Nemeth's new movie (a Phillip K Dick novel that Ptryxxx has actually been cast as a featured extra in!) then off to Hollywood Blvd, Beverly Hills, Santa Monica, and Venice Beach for the sunset.
We made it as far as Hollywood Blvd, where Darth Vader leaped into the Road to Oprah bio-bus just as an electrical fire broke out, causing lots of stink and smoke, melting the wires, and making the bus immovable from the curb in front of the legendary Chinese Theater. Not a bad place for a film crew to break down!
We made the best of it, called a giant tow-truck/flat bed, and had the truck towed of to Chuy's (our awesome electricians) and waited for news. The bright side of it was that we got some great footage of costumed characters, skateboard tricks on top of the bus, an awesome street band, and other goodness that you'll soon be able to see on YouTube.
Right now we're crossing the Hoover Dam after driving to Vegas late last night, getting kicked out of a parking lot this morning, and meeting new producers at a grocery store in Boulder City. At the Hoover Dam inspection checkpoint, Officer Rivera of Homeland Security became the newest producer of The 1 Second Film. Awesomeness!
We're now headed through the desert and on to the Grand Canyon!
More news soon. In the meantime, check out the new photosets on Flickr and videos on YouTube!
Love,
Juli & the Genitals
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